Remnants of a War Not Yet Begun
by Zaynal
Summary: Jaune, Ruby, Sun, Cardin, and Velvet have all witnessed the hell that war consists of. In each of their timeline instances have shown them how ruined Humanity has become-but when they are given a chance to alter their mistakes and help prevent a war, they take it.
1. A General and A Rose

Year is 2135, 3 years after Jaune and the rest of his friends graduated Beacon. The Graduates of Beacon had become huntsmen and huntresses of the greatest order, but a war would break out. No one knew why it had ensued and no one could imagine the sheer destruction it would leave in its wake. The Hunters became the Hunted as humans began killing each other.

* * *

><p>Jaune was one of the few that kept his friends sane through the atrocities they were forced to commit. He would tell jokes and lighten the mood so that they could live to see another day.<p>

A great white light shown in the battlefield and for a single day, no one fought, still in awe of a light that quickly faded. It was then that the timelines fractured. And five different outcomes of the same sad war had been actualized.

All the instances shared one common theme, death. In the first instance Jaune had to contend with the fact that under his watch, all he cared for were killed. The empty medals and hollow condolences meant little to the young General. It was too much and he led battle after battle against his foes, wishing for a death that would not come

* * *

><p>It was constant. The pain. The dark thoughts. The fear. The complete and utter soul crushing regret. It just eats, and eats, and eats away at him until he feels numb and feels like he can't go on any more. Screams echoing in his head, keeping him awake at night, replaying every time he closes his eyes. But in the military there was no room for that. With each cry for help- each death of a friend, he had to pretend it didn't affect him. He had to pretend that it was necessary for them to win this war. One by one his friends fell under his command.<p>

When not on the field of battle Jaune would shut himself in his study and read, reviewed, planned and did everything he could to make sure his battle strategy was better than the last. He would hold his breath and hope that it would prevent a death. But it was always the same.

After the second, every time he watched his friends get ready for battle he knew it was going to happen. No matter how much he thought this new plan was going to be the one to save them, it sunk in that there was no way for him to do it, but he felt that he had to try anyway.

After the third, he felt like he should run. That he should give up, convince his friends it wasn't worth it anymore, and try to run away from everything with them. He knew that there was no where to hide. It felt like they were on a raft, the tide too high to swim, no land in sight; They were just sitting ducks waiting to be killed one by one with each victory for their side.

Though as far as Jaune saw it there was no victory... only massacre.

By the time there was only one of his friends left, he knew. He knew he was sending her to her death. By the time there was only one of his friends left, he didn't feel. He was too numb to feel. By the time there was only one of his friends left he was so wracked with guilt that he was starting to forget what for. He told her that he was sorry. She had always seemed leagues better than him at being a leader despite him having risen higher than her in ranks, but she would never have it when he apologized, always responding with a single word.

"Nope."

He remembers looking down at her lifeless body. He'll never forget how cold and lifeless someone so warm and lively looked, reflecting exactly how he felt now. He couldn't look at her for longer than a minute. It ate away at him.

The night there was none left a heavy fog covered everything, and Jaune took that moment to go for a walk to clear his head. As he went his thoughts wandered, his breath got heavier, and he felt lost as he ran his shaking hands through his hair. He didn't know where to go from there, and all he could wonder.

Was it his fault? Why had he come here? Why hadn't he just stayed home that day? Why did he even bother becoming a hunter in the first place? Was it worth it now that he stood alone?

* * *

><p>In the second instance Ruby Rose watched as a bullet enter Jaune Arc's head. One by one she witnessed her friends killed and destroyed by a war they were forced to join. She couldn't handle it and she became withdrawn as the only surviving member of her group other than herself would barely respond when she spoke. When Ren had died Nora had become quiet, she would only grunt and nod whenever something was asked of her.<p>

Outside on the battlefield Ruby always was very pragmatic and stoic. She always had to put up that front, in order to boost the morality of the squad she was always was the same for her too. Go murder that person, go infiltrate that base, but in the end she knew it was for nothing. It was a losing war they were fighting.

Then one day a white light had appeared on the battlefield and every sign of battle had stopped in order to watch it, even Ruby had stopped. Ruby decided to ignore it for now and get a long sleep, in order to rest for the battle for the next morning, but couldnt sleep and her curiousity had gotten the better of her.

The bright white light had appeared to both Jaune and Ruby, across the vast divide of the fracture timelines. The light fully enveloped them and when it faded, Ruby and Jaune found themselves on a ship headed to Beacon.

* * *

><p>After Ruby had regained her senses, she looked around and noted that she was in VTOL-130. She that it was this particular model, because she flied things like this a lot during the war. She then took a look outside and saw a sight she hadn't seen in year's. It was Vale and it looked as bright and green like the day before the war started. Ruby tried to be shocked, but she still was tired from yesterday's fight.<p>

She also noticed that she looked younger and probably was around 16 or something. 'I am bad at guessing age's of others, so I could even be younger than that.' Ruby then heard the announcer say. "Five Minutes to Beacon!" She stared shockingly outside of the window and saw that Beacon stood outside on the cliff, like it always had been. The last time she saw it, it was burned to the ground and littered with the corpses of her fellow students and friends.

Hugged by her sister Yang, Ruby wonders just what is going on as an Announcement rings out. "Five minutes to Beacon."

Yang had been training to be huntress since the day she found out Summer Rose wasn't her own mother. Soon after, Ruby had joined the cause, and the two sisters had trained together for years by each other's sides. Their fighting styles were incredibly different, sure, but they always fought better together. So when Yang went to Signal and Ruby was still two grades away, Yang was a little disappointed that they weren't together. And when Yang was accepted into Beacon, and Ruby was two years away from Beacon, Yang was nothing short of depressed. Her sister, in the end, was her best friend, and being so far away from her was pretty awful, but she wouldn't never admit that to her.  
>The night Ruby came home, looking slightly rattled and overly excited, crumbs of cookies still resting on her clothes and chin, Yang got an immediate explanation. There was a robbery at a dust store in town, and Ruby had fought off a bunch of grown men on her own. It was a big feat, especially since they fought Grimm all the time, but Yang couldn't help but be proud. The best news, though, was that the headmaster himself had asked Ruby to attend Beacon 2 years early. Yang was sure she hugged her little sister for over an hour when she heard the news.<p>

The day they went to Beacon arrived, and Yang was acting more like a mother than a sister to Ruby. She was asking if she had everything, including Crescent Rose, if she had a tooth brush, both shoes, just random things. Ruby was about to strangle her by the time the car rolled around front. They finally made it to the aircraft, and Yang couldn't stop herself from smiling like a maniac and staring at her sister. She was so proud of her. She skipped two whole years of training by the headmasters request! "Five minutes to Beacon, Ruby!" Yang smiled, repeating the information that just had been told to them over the loud speaker.

"What the heck is going on?.." Ruby mumbled to herself and jumped a bit, when she heard a familiar voice which she hadnt heard in year's. She turned around and saw that it had been her Sister. Ruby then flinched, as she remembered the burned corpse of her sister laying in her hand's. She immediately shook of the memory and tried to bring some emotion into her next sentence, but was failing very hard and badly.

"Yang?...What are you doing here?" Ruby inwardly cursed for sounding too stoic. "Er, I mean where are we Sis?" Ruby then tried to smile too, but it looked more like a broken smile than a normal one.

Yang watched her sister, her eyes squinting only for a moment as she wondered why Ruby was acting so strangely. "We're at Beacon, little sister!" Yang grinned, punching her in the shoulder playfully, a laugh escaping her lips, head tilted back, her golden locks falling behind her. "What, did you forget that it's our first day at Beacon?" Yang thought Ruby had been so nervous that she had forgotten about all of it, but the older girl wouldn't hold it against her. Ruby was pretty scatterbrained when it came to anything that didn't involve fighting, and she had just been pushed up 2 years to come to the best combat school around. "Don't worry, little sister, everyone's going to love you. They'll think you're the bee's knees!"

"..." Ruby remained quiet and stoic on the outside, but on the inside she was thinking. 'Yang is alive... We are back at Beacon and somehow I look younger.' Ruby rubbed her temples for the incoming headache. 'I dont want to believe it, but this seems too real to be a dream... so did I travel back in time?..' Ruby then looked at her sister with her stone-cold face and replied. "I am not worrying Yang... I am rather exhausted from yesterday."

Ruby then leaned against a nearby wall and began thinking, whild not noticing the gaze of her sister on herself. '..Why am I back in the past? Why am I back in thix specific period of time?...'

* * *

><p>Jaune witnessed the scene playing out before him and he did not know how to react. A wave of nausea hitting Jaune like a brick wall. He was bent over, hold his stomach with one hand and the other over his mouth. He did not feel good at all. Slowly opening his eyes he realized that he wasn't in the middle of a foggy wasteland anymore. Instead he was in a pristeen aircraft, that looked all too much like one of Vale's, filled with people. When he had heard the lady earlier say that it was five minutes to Beacon, his world began to spin.<p>

Jaune's eyes went wide, a million questions flying by all at once, and he suddenly felt even more sick than before. He wasn't sure what has happening, but right now he was going to throw up from all of this. Practically tripping over himself he ran for the nearest trash can.

As Jaune finished puking his 9 year old lunch, he felt the ship shake slightly as it touched the ground. Sighing to himself, he wondered what his next move would be as the people on the ship began filing out of the ship. Swearing to himself softly he walks out, the sun was shining brightly. Which was something he had not seen in a long time.

Jaune wasn't used to the bright sunlight. He was used to the sky's being greyed out by the smoke. Taking a moment to gather his bearings he sat down on the floor. Ruby walked out of the airship tired, barely registering Yang firing a million questions at her. Yang quickly ran off with her friends, leaving Ruby to wander Beacon alone. Feeling light-headed she faints for a moment and falls onto a certain white haired corporate heiress's luggage.

Weiss turned around to see a red haired girl had suddenly fallen into her luggage. Her expression was annoyed and borderline livid. "Hey watch it. This is delicate property you klutz!" She did not make any moves to help the girl just stood their arms crossed.

Ruby had fallen unconscious for a short moment, but was awoken immediately when she heard a familiar voice. She then slowly and weakly got up and looked at who the familiar voice belonged to. "What?.." Ruby stared wide-eyed and with a pale face at the heiress of the SDC. Ruby then had a quick flashback of Weiss dying in her arms and mumbling the last words. 'Its not your fault you dunce..' Ruby then collapsed on the ground from the shock and just stared blankly at the sky. Ruby loved the blue sky. It was so pretty, so blue. It was better than deary grey she had gotten used to. But seeing the angry Weiss hovering over her killed the mood quickly.

"Hey are you alright ..hello?" Weiss got all up in Ruby's face. "This is no time to be sleeping on my Dust collection so get up…" She proceeded to lift Ruby off her cart. "Listen do you need water?" This was said more politely.

"…" Ruby blankly stared at the heiress and got up. "Yes, a little bit of water would be good." Ruby nodded half-asleep. She still was too exhausted and with the shock of seeing Weiss alive, took whatever energy she had left. "You are Weiss Schnee, right?" Ruby asked with a tired smile.

"Yes I am." Weiss grinned. "So you've heard of me." She was beaming with pride as she motioned over one of her bodyguards to bring Ruby a water bottle. "Here but don't mention it.." She began to go back to picking up the knocked over vials. She also inspected them carefully for damages. "Well your just lucky you didn't destroy them." Weiss shifted back to her usual demeanor and began to chew Ruby out.

"…" Ruby took a large and generous sip from the water bottle and set it down again. She then stoically stared at the heiress and blinked at the sudden personality changes.

'Good lord… this young Weiss is even worse than the one from my timeline..or was it dimension? Fuck it this is getting too complicated for me.' Ruby thought to herself and looked at the princess and said. "I guess I am sorry…"

"You better be sorry." Weiss hmphed. "I guess we can look this over just once." She looked away from Ruby then back at Ruby. "Do you know what Dust is?" She began to give a lesson to Ruby about the Dust types etc. She showed off a vial as well.

"Is it really so wise to throw Dust at someone?" Blake sarcastically asks as she walks up to the two. Not even bothering for a response she then goes on to say. "Is this how all Schnee Dust Company personnel treat people? Kind one moment and-" she doesn't bother finishing the sentence, losing motivation to interact with the young Heiress.

"For your information I was not throwing Dust at her. I was just educating her and how dare you speak bad about my company?" She eyed Blake patronizingly. "I have a reputation to uphold after all.." Realizing what she said she quickly covered her mouth.

"What kind of reputation is that? Hmm?" Blake interjects. "Is it your questionable business practices? Or is it your exploiting your Faunus labor?"

Weiss gave her a confused look. "You believe that propaganda" She huffed. "You are so naive. I am sure my company does not have shady practices… Or rather my Fathers..soon to be mine."

"I'm done. This blatant naivety is disgusting and I want no part of it." She says before walking off.

Weiss shrugged. "Fine go…" She began to move her vials back on her cart. With that said Weiss said a quick goodbye to the girl on the floor. In the distance a young man looked at the school in an affectionate gaze. 'I can't believe it's back… Or maybe I should say that I'm back?' Jaune thought, staring up at the grand building that was Beacon. Everything was so peaceful and buzzing with life that it felt like a dream. He'd collided with enough people and gotten scolded on the way out of the aircraft so he knew at least that wasn't true, this was indeed the same Beacon he had enrolled at long ago. Though people he remembered having spoken too before didn't seem to notice him at all. This brought him to take some time to review what had happened, only to find he still didn't know much about what was going on. His biggest concerns right now were the white light he had seen before arriving on the airship and finding someone he knew; the later being the easiest to achieve. 'Well, no use sitting around waiting for answers like a fool. If I'm correct about what might be going on Ruby might be the easiest to find.' Standing up he set on his way, down the path he remembered taking years ago.

As luck, or fate, would have it the girl he was looking for was right where he remembered. Making note of this occurrence, he held out a hand to her.

'A lot of things are happening and I still don't know whether to be happy or shocked about this nostalgic sight.' Ruby thought to herself, as she still was laying on the ground. Ruby then looked at the newcomer and noted that it was Jaune Arc, but she was too tired and exhausted to have another flashback about him or be shocked to seeing him alive again.

She slapped his hand away and unenthusiastically got up herself. "Sorry, but I don't need help from anyone." She said in a annoyed tone.

Completely taken aback he let his hand fall back to his side, feeling a little lost at the way she was acting. Seeing Ruby again after having just said good bye to her yesterday was painful enough, but her reaction was absolutely heart shattering. He started to feel really unwell again.

"Oh… Sorry, Ruby… I know you must be so angry with me." He whispered, taking a step back from her, "Right.. I shouldn't have expected you to just greet me like you had back then." Breathing suddenly became a harder task and he turned away from her.

"Ah, I'm such an idiot." He changed to talking to himself now, passing a hand through his hair before crossing his arms over his chest subconsciously as if trying to protect himself, "Obviously, this is all just to make me pay for what I did to you- to everyone… It's the guilt finally setting in, it's my mind playing tricks on me and this isn't really happening. Nothing that's happening is actually happening." Feeling safe with that thought he repeated it to himself completely forgetting that Ruby was even there.

Ruby was still annoyed and got even more annoyed at the way he was acting. he seemed to act familiar to the Jaune of her time. 'This time-traveling stuff still gives me a headache every time I think about it and why the fuck does Jaune act like the one from my time-line?' She then sensed for his aura and finally felt it. "General Arc? Is it really you?" Ruby then kneed Jaune in his nuts and punched him in his face. Then she hugged him, so he wouldn't collapse on the ground. "You fucking asshole! You died on me and I couldn't even say goodbye to you." One tear slid down her face and she cracked a sad smile. "Do you know how much I missed you?"

At the mention of his title Jaune snapped back to reality, instinctively standing at attention due to years of military training drilled into him. It took Jaune a second to realize Ruby had moved before he let out loud hiss as he doubled over in pain. He was about to wail at her asking why, but he was abruptly cut off by Ruby socking him in the jaw next. He almost fell backwards at the force before Ruby pulled him into a hug. Bewildered and very much in pain, all he could do was lightly pat her shoulder in a sort of returned hug.

"Uhh… Major Ruby Rose then I take it?" He let out a nervous laugh. It was more of a statement than a question after what just occurred, there was no way it wasn't her. He pulled away just enough to look at her and couldn't stop himself from envisioning her dead all over again, "But… You died just the other day… Oh dust, I'm so sorry Ruby. Truly I am. I really am. I tried so hard to protect you… and the others…" He finally returned her hug.

"Yep Major Ruby Rose reporting for duty." Ruby said, as she broke up the hug and assumed her usual stance. Then in an distancing voice she spoke. "Its good to see you again General Arc." Ruby then put back her stoic mask and let it remain there. "Status report sir! Earlier today you died and then I was depressed for a bit, until we my squad and I saw a bright light, which started every fighting on both sides of the war." Ruby said and remembered the scene like it happened yesterday.

"I decided to take a rest, but couldn't due to being used to only sleep 4 and less hours, so I decided to go for a walk, but then was attacked by the white light and then found myself on an airship to Beacon." Ruby then saluted and stoically added. "After checking everything out and having talked to my sister, I figured that I somehow landed in the past…." Ruby then broke her stance, but still remained emotionally drained. "I don't know how or why this happened, but I will use this chance in order to prevent the war, even if it will be the death of me…"

"The past…" He repeated, eyes narrowing as he thought it over. It seemed too surreal, his mind couldn't fully grasp how this happened or why he would ever be given a second chance and Ruby not knowing either didn't help. Ruby's report only further solidified for Jaune that this had to be dream, but anything was better than reality, so for now he decided to play along until he woke up and had to face his waking nightmare again.

"Excusing the differences in which of us survived, it seems we've had a similar encounter of a white light and ending up on that airship. The one I had seen appeared a few hours after you had passed away. My guess had been…" He trailed off as if another thought had intercepted, "Well anyway, Major, you're right. If that's the case then preventing the war would definitely be the best course of action in this situation. For now we should keep things quiet, no use causing an uproar at this point in time. Blend in and gently shift the others actions towards a different path."

Ruby nodded at Jaune's explanation and replied. "Good choice of words General Arc, but lets worry about those kind of things later." Ruby then looked around and noted that they were infront of the statue. She shook her head and then continued with. "For now we should worry about passing the initiation again and landing on the same Team's as last time, seeing as we don't want to change the rest of the timeline any further than we already do, just by existing right now."

Ruby then cracked her neck and fingers and sighed in relief once heard some pops. "Jaune, we should slowly head to the halls, seeing as the Ozpin's announcement should be starting soon." With that said Ruby used her Semblance and disappeared in a blur of Rose Petals. She reappeared in front of the hallway doors and mumbled. "Lets hope Jaune still remembers the way here…"

Jaune nodded and started making his own way over to the assembly hall as Ruby sped off. It was a bit hazy but over the course of a couple of months at Beacon he had quickly pieced together internally memorized the layout of the school and it's grounds. Whenever he would be unsure of where he was it would seem to unfold like a map in his mind and the easiest route would always highlight, easily guiding him. He remembers thinking that it was one of the many things he had done that should have tipped him off as odd, but that ability had always been like second nature and didn't come so easily to him when he was younger as it did now. By the end of his first year he had all of Vale inside out, and by his fourth year he had the continent down and parts of the other kingdoms due to visiting. It definitely came in handy for the war unless there were drastic changes to the environment, but this was Beacon. The Beacon from day one as he remembered it; but different.

It was a dream of course, it was a dream for that very reason. It had to. He felt ill at the thought of it not being a dream. This Beacon was not his anymore. He had lost the right to call this peaceful Beacon his a long, long time ago and it could only exist in the dreams that plagued his sleep.

These halls. These rooms. The chattering students around him. This kind of Beacon did not exist anymore.

It was just a beautiful dream. A beautifully painful and scary dream.

Beautiful because he missed this Beacon so much, it had been his wish as a child to come here and it was his entire world while he grew up from an awkward teen into General Arc of Vale's army.

Painful and scary because those he was close to weren't the same. Ruby was the same woman who had closed off from her emotions so long ago. He came to the conclusion that the others, who's deaths terrorized him in his waking moments, were going to be the same way. He really should have been calling this a nightmare, but truthfully, he missed them too much to think that getting to speak with them again could be anything but a pleasant dream. It was only here that he could be forgiven for his failures.

Jaune stopped in front of the doors to the auditorium. He had been so lost in thought that he barely realized he had arrived or that he had been holding his breath. Before he could think of anything else he pushed through the doors and into the hall.

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><p><strong>Author Note: Well this idea was an interesting one. Could I write a story that was collaborative? The answer was yes. It was DnD styled in that I was the DM except we weren't playing with dice or even a game essentially. Just the story, purely the story. Each character would be controlled by an individual person. Jaune is controlled by .com, Ruby for this single chapter was controlled by .com, Yang is controlled by .com, Weiss for this single chapter was controlled by .com, Blake was controlled by me. Beyond that, I had the additional task of making sure each interaction and written contribution meshed well together, and I had to make sure each person was on top of the story. I even wrote prompts, scenarios to make their part in the story more dynamic. Regardless, if you enjoyed this and their contributions to this story, go visit their blogs. <strong>


	2. A Speech to Remember

The Halls of Beacon were lively, people unaware of the world around them laughing and conversing. Ruby and Jaune felt out of place, like they didn't belong in this world. They felt that they should be doing something, something more than whatever they were doing at that moment. But initiation would soon begin and Ozpin would give his speech and then they were to form teams. It was such simplicity when told as chains of events, but life rarely was simple. And Jaune and Ruby knew this lesson by heart, it was engraved into their very soul.

But what of the previous generations? THe countless huntsmen and huntresses who laid down their lives to protect and serve the common people. The very people who swore to defend against the Grimm. Ozpin drank his coffee as he stared at all the students before him, he could see the hopes and dreams in the eyes of these young men and women. The scars of battle had not yet etched their way into their souls.

Except for three

A young blonde haired boy looked as if everything was unreal, a red haired girl stood at attention, not letting any stimuli surrounding her go unnoticed, and a red haired boy who looked as if he killed countless innocents. They all looked as if they had been in a war. The red haired boy lingered for a moment, staring at the blonde and the red haired girl. He seemed as if he wanted to speak to them, but he didn't. The blonde haired boy began to stare at Ozpin, and in turn Ozpin stared back. Taking a sip of his coffee once more, he waited for more students to file in before he began the speech.

When Jaune had been younger the meaning behind this upcoming speech had somewhat flown over his head. After going through all the things in his life and coming back, to stand here watching Ozpin as he waited on more students before beginning, he realized that this was one of the many speeches Ozpin gave that he wished he had understood back then.

Jaune started to feel depressed at noticing how far back he had made mistakes, it stretched further before this point in time. It weighed down on him that he had been making mistakes for most of his life, and no matter how many times he learned from them there were always more around the corner.

He inwardly cringed at how ignorant he had been about the world. Now he knew how cruel it could be, and it only made him feel even more like an idiot.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he changed thoughts to the man on stage.

It was strange to see Ozpin again in this light. Back in the old days of Beacon. He remembers having thought Ozpin looked old, for lack of a better vocabulary then, but now Ozpin seemed more relaxed and content. Jaune's Ozpin was more weary and stressed than anyone he had ever known. It was good to see him look so much more at ease.  
>One thing that Jaune noticed was different from that time long ago was that Ozpin was looking at him and just over from him, Ruby, as if he could tell there was something different. That struck Jaune as odd, but he dismissed it as he noticed Ozpin's gaze shift to somewhere to the left side of the room. Curious, he turned his head to look and scanned the sea of people for who it might be. Uneasy indigo eyes caught Jaune's gaze for a split second before his attention was called away by someone coming to stand next to him and right in his line of sight.<p>

Jaune knew all too well who that had been, but he hadn't been able to see them long enough to wager if they were different as well or if he was going to have to deal with the same old routine. Either way, it would have to wait until after initiation. If what Ruby had theorized was true, then Jaune could not stand for that person to get in their way. He was stronger now, and wouldn't hold back against who that person used to be.

With new resolve, Jaune returned his gaze to Ozpin, feeling more than ready to take on the challenges ahead.

The halls quickly filled and Ozpin drank his coffee slowly, he looked at the dynamics of the people. Who would look good in teams, who wouldn't. That was his secret of how he was able to get people on teams that worked well. He calculated beforehand and tweaked the launch pads to send the students with greater affinity together. But there were no greater enigmas that those three students. Last he had seen of Ruby she was a cheery and happy girl, what had changed that? Ozpin ponders these things before beginning his speech.

Ozpin continued to stare at Ruby, it was clear something was wrong. And the way she and Jaune had interacted, it was as if they were close. But today was supposed to mark the first time they met, this confused the man. Something was wrong, and he would have to figure out why. Tapping the microphone he begins to speak.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge-to hone your craft and acquire new skills-and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose-direction, mostly that is. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. There are among you who understand the weight of the world, those who understand loss, and those who understand that an innocent must always be protected. There are people among you who have realized that knowledge is only a tool, to be used and utilized. It is in intellect that we find ourselves arrogant, it is in ignorance we find ourselves yearning for knowledge. It is up to you decide if protecting humanity deserves you placing your life on the life. It is up to you to decide which step you must take."

Glynda's piercing green eyes narrowed at Ozpin's sudden addition to the speech, caught off guard by the implications behind those few extra words, but promptly attempted to regained composure as he left the stage. With minor hesitance she stepped forward to say her piece, taking a sweeping glance over the students in front of her as she did so.

"You will gather in the ball room tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready." Glynda explained, her last words a clear warning from the tone of her voice. She scanned the crowd gauging the responses she saw. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to her, so she mentally prepared to question Ozpin later. "You are dismissed."

Ozpin walked off the stage, a million questions in his mind. A million questions and he felt lost. For the first time in forever, he felt lost. How had Ms Rose's personality changed so much? He would try to find out in initiation. He wanted her to be paired up with Weiss Schnee, she looked like she'd be a good partner to her. Sighing, he let his legs take him to his destination.

* * *

><p>It was night, and people gathered around the ball room. Soon they would be asleep and Blake would have peace and quiet. Soon. Her current task was reading the book Tukson had given her many years ago. A story of the man with two souls. It was her favorite, it always managed to brighten her mood on any occassion. She hears someone calling her name, her FORMER task was reading the book Tukson had given her, her new task was to attempt to ignore the person pestering her.<p>

She failed

Ruby walks up to the familar girl, steps nearly silent. She could never quite perfect walking completely silent, but it was still something. The girl sits down, back against the concrete wall and lets out a small sigh. She turns her head and holds out a hand, she musters up a small smile. It was nice to see her teammate once more, and if they were to meet again, she wanted to make it right. "My name is Ruby Rose. Although you may already know that, Blake."

"How do you know my name?" Blake continued reading her book. Maybe if she kept her responses short, she would leave.

"I've heard it before." Not the whole truth, not the whole lie. It was quick think that usually saved Ruby's skin. That, and sheer dumb luck.

"Oh," she turned the page. Silence. Ruby would rather it not end like this, and she had no plans of leaving.

"What are you reading?" Now the girl had her attention, she could talk days on end about books.

"It's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control."

"Tell me more." Wanting to keep the conversation going, she asks a few questions. "Does it hurt while they fight? How can he tell it's his souls?"

"Well, not exactly. It's more one moment he's this good man who's a Doctor. Saving people's lives. And the other, his darker soul takes over and he ends up doing dark things." Blake explains the premise of the plot a bit more clearly. Ruby wanted to point out that it could've easily been a personality disorder, but decided to hold her tongue.

"Does he kill people?"

Blake ponders this for a moment and responds with "Yes."

Silence. What should Ruby say? "Well, it sounds like an interesting book." Realizing conversation was dying fast Blake opted to continue reading her book.

The conversation had reached it's end. Ruby let out an inaudible sigh. It was a start, and then she remembered fragments of the authentic conversation she had had with Blake when they first met. "I love books. When I was younger I wanted to be like the good guys in the stories I would read. Someone who fought for what was right! Someone who protected people who couldn't protect themselves!"

"What, you think we'll all get a happy ending?" Blake chuckled a little bit. A moment of silence, Ruby was thrown for a loop. Blake hadn't gotten a happy ending, but now, Ruby can change that.

"I'll do whatever I can to make sure of it."

"Well real life isn't like a fairytale. We all have monsters inside that we have to conquer. But most people sucumb to theirs, it's why it's such a dark world out there." Blake sighs pessimistically.

"Believe me, Blake, I know better than you think I do... Just because there's dark in the world, it doesn't mean I can do my best to try and spread the light."

"Well Ruby, was it? It was nice talking to you. I'd like to finish this chapter before initiation tomorrow. Who knows maybe we might share a class or two." Blake goes back to reading her book. If initiation goes as it did in the authentic past, they'll be sharing a lot more than a few classes.

"It was nice talking to you as well." Ruby rises to her feet. "I hope to talk to you again."

Blake merely nodded her head and turned back to her book. As night dragged on, the students went to sleep one by one until Blake was the only one up. Finishing the last words of the book she sighs, it would be a long day tomorrow. Lying her head down on the pillow, she hoped she would do alright.

* * *

><p>"Students are to go to their lockers and gather their survival gear." The overhead PA system had told the recently woken teenagers. But two students in particular were there already. Pyrrha and Weiss. Currently Weiss was trying to subtly recruit Pyrrha onto her team. Subtly wasn't her strong suit. Pyrrha merely responded to her questions with enthusiasm and cheer, one of the many things she had learned to FORCE when dealing with interactions she found unpleasant.<p>

Meanwhile, Ruby was retrieving Crescent Rose from her locker. Taking a moment, she looks down at the red and black metals, recalling the flesh it's torn through and the blood it's spilled. Grimm don't have blood. Pushing the thought away, she slams the locker closed and hooks up the sniper scythe to her belt. Turning around, she see's Yang closing her locker, Ember Celica on her arms, a lot more gentle with it.

Yang was at her locker, slipping Ember Celica onto her wrists, the warmth they brought giving her relief. Wearing her gaunlets was like putting on clothes - it felt natural, normal, something she couldn't go a day without. And recently, she couldn't go anywhere without them. She was getting into more bar fights and ran into more grim than she ever had before. And if that Weiss girl continued being inexplainably rude to her little sister, Yang might have to knock some manners into that girl. Cocking her gaunlets, she turned to her sister, a smile on her face from both excitement and pride for Ruby. "Are you almost ready, Ruby? We can't be late for the first mission. I hear they're making us choose teams today!"

Ruby merely grunted at her sister, she didn't have the energy to interact with anyone right now. All she wanted to do was get initiation out of the way, form her team and prevent the bloody war that cost her all of her friends. Looking to her left she sees Pyrrha and Weiss interacting with one another. Apparently Weiss was trying to recruit Pyrrha into her team. 'Good luck with that.' Ruby thought to herself.

Pyrrha let Weiss chat with her but _clearly who was this girl to suddenly come over and demand she join her team_? However she swallowed her pride and put on a cheerful front. She nodded politely as Weiss talked as well.

Weiss was determined. Hellbent even. What better pair could there be besides Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos? Nothing, at least, nothing Weiss could think of. "Your weapon is very impressive, you know. I've never seen anything like it and it appears to be very powerful, though I doubt anyone could wield it like you do." Kissing up? Maybe. Possibly just gushing. She should stop, but her brain went on autopilot.

"It isn't anything special. Anyone could easily craft a weapon better then mine.." Pyrrha replied. "So what about your weapon?"

"A Rapier that uses Dust. It's very nice to use, and I designed it myself, so obviously it's one of a kind." Most weapons were one of a kind, but Weiss couldn't help but feel a bit holier than thou about her weapon.

"Interesting. So the Schnee Company has components to make nice weopons.." Pyrrha replied. '_How to get away from her Pyrrha. .just play it cool..' _she thought to herself as she glanced at the door ready to try and bolt if she could get a chance to without offending Weiss.

Walking into the locker room, Jaune scanned the room. It was still a little disorienting to see Beacon standing, but he felt it was slowly getting easier. He had thought he would have woken up from this when he had gone to sleep last night, but it seemed to insist on continuing and that left a heavy uneasiless in the pit of his stomach. Just then Jaune's gaze fell on a familiar face, all train of thought stopped, and before he could stop himself he was running towards Pyrrha.  
>"Colonel!" He exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around the redhead, "Oh, Colonel Nikos! Pyrrha, it's so good to see your face again, you've been gone for so long! I've missed you so much!"<p>

Pyrrha looked at Jaune "Colonel? Umm who are you?" She was confused as she gave him a raised eyebrow.

At being asked who he was Jaune let her go with a small nervous laugh. Right, how easy it was to forget. He put on a smile, "Ah, awkward. Sorry, about that, Pyrrha! The name's Jaune Arc! Please ignore what I said... all that Colonel stuff and you know. I'm just so excited to meet you, I hope we can be good friends!"

"It's nice to meet you Jaune. And it's fine. We all make mistakes." Pyrrha smiled at him.

Weiss scoffs, pulling the odd blond boy by the hood. "Do you have any idea who you're hugging?!"

"Weiss that isn't nice .." Pyrrha replied giving the girl a glance.

"He just shows up out of nowhere and hugs you! That's not something anyone should do!"

"Even if he doesn't know me what is wrong with a friendly hug Weiss.." Pyrrha was starting to show signs of annoyance now.

"It's okay, really! Weiss is right, I'm sorry about hugging you out of no where. What can I say? I'm a hugger." he shrugged. Sensing the growing tension he quickly spoke up again, "I don't know much, but I can tell just by looking that Pyrrha's a kind person. She's going to be making a lot of friends here."

"Thank you Jaune for your kind words. I really did not have a problem with it. It was a nice thing to do." Pyrrha smiled at Jaune. Weiss fought against herself, determined not to blow up.

The PA system sounded over the school. "All initiate students report to the school cliff." After a few moments all the students began filing towards the cliff. The path to war an unsure one, Jaune and Ruby walk towards tomorrow. Hoping and praying that they can prevent darkness from shrouding the earth once more.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: So I replaced Ruby's and Weiss's contributor with .com and I made Pyrrha's contributor .com, I've also taken the role of Ozpin as well Blake from the previous chapter. Also this will probably take a lot longer to update than The Chessmaster's Choice purely because I'm working with so many people at once. Speaking of TCC, I'm having a bit of trouble with Chapter 7. Might be a while before I publish it. Sorry. <strong>


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